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Web Site 101 for the Small Business Owner:

What you don't want to know, but should know about building or improving your Web site

New Sites    Graphic Design    Content    Site Navigation    Other

NEW SITES: First, a few basics:

When you are ready for a new Web site, there will be a few additional expenditures, apart from the design.

  • You will need a DOMAIN NAME - that's the www.mybusinessname.com or .org or .info or .net part of your new site. This is purchased from a domain registrar, and will cost from $6.95 to $35 per year, depending on the registration company you choose.

  • You will need a WEB HOST. Don't plan to use the web space you get with your regular email address from Earthlink.net, Comcast.com, AOL.com etc... Although some services now allow business web sites to be set up in personal web space (the Web space that comes with an Internet access/email account), you will be required to use some version of their web address as part of yours. http://www.comcast.net~yourname.com instead of http://www.yourname.com.

     Obviously the easier it is for visitors to remember your name, the better! Your designer can reserve space for you, or may even offer hosting services as well as design services. Depending on the size, scope, and requirements of your site, space can be found for as little as $3.99 per month.

Tip: When the above are purchased they will come with user names and passwords. Make sure you get and KEEP YOUR USER NAMES, PASSWORDS, and ACCESS INSTRUCTIONS IN HARD COPY FORMAT. There is ALWAYS a time when someone will need this information.

 

GRAPHIC DESIGN:

  • A basic shell design will be required for the site - preferably one that can be identified with current marketing material (brochures, business card, etc.).

  • If you don't already have a logo, you will need one. whether from clip art, photography, an original drawing, text, or some combination of these. Logo design is a part of the service offered by Virtual Helping Hand...or we can adapt what you already have for the Web.

    Consistency is important for all your business materials, whether in print or electronic format. Consistency helps create recognition and memory triggers for your clients and customers. Branding is necessary for a successful enterprise that visitors will remember!

  • Keep in mind that the Web is mainly a visual medium. A Web site must be visually appealing and obvious to navigate!. How many times have you gone to a Web site and clicked the back button immediately because it looked amateurish, took too long to load with your modem connection, or literally hurt your eyes?

  • The amount of graphic design required is the first major factor driving the cost of a Web site design.

Tip: There are a number of cookie-cutter design and web hosting services that will allow a design from a template, chosen from a gallery of choices. They charge either a one-time smaller flat fee or a higher a monthly hosting fee for this service. You must consider if you have the time, ability, and especially the desire to keep a site updated.

 

CONTENT: Depending on the type of business, you will need some basic content on your Web pages. A few examples of the basics include:

  • contact information - address(es) - list the complete address for a business with an office location. For those small business owners working from home it's not necessary or even preferable to list a physical address.

  • an email contact form so visitors can ask questions about what you are offering. A form has a more professional look, and will make suggestions for information you would like to have when you receive their questions (name, company, state, etc.) In these days of heavy SPAM it can also help protect your business email address from bombardment.

  • a short description of your business.

  • background information, if applicable (how expert you are at what you do).

  • how your purchasing/shipping/returns are handled, if applicable.

  • a page for positive comments from clients or customers.

  • specifics about what makes your business the one to choose.

  • pages(s) of products, if you have products to see; or a detailed description of your services if you are a service business.

  • a blog or e-newsletter to keep in contact with your returning visitors.

You know your business best - a designer will be able to advise you about general rules for information - but you have the best knowledge of what needs to be said to get people to notice you, call you, or order from you! You'll need to answer the types of questions you have been asked by your clients/customers/members - in a short, energetic, enthusiastic style.

Most Web design firms want this information in an final format, or there will be an additional charge for editing your copy. Some offer editing and copy writing/editing services, and some do not. VHH will be happy to help you find content, write it, or edit it.

The amount of copy writing / editing is the 2nd major factor driving the cost of a Web site design.

Tip: Search the Web to see what your competitors are saying, and what their sites offer. If this research isn't something you can do, research is one of our specialties!

 

SITE NAVIGATION: If you have a preference for where the navigation links should be; i.e. on the top, bottom, left, right, state it up front!

When you are looking at competitors' sites, note which ones appeal the most to you - and especially note which ones are easy to use. This is something your designer will be able to help you decide, or choose for you.

Navigation points to consider:

  • Make sure a "Flash" design is what you really want, and that it will appeal to those likely to visit your site (great for high-tech industries, for instance. Not great for those whose visitor base will come from those with slower dial-up modem connections). Be sure to check the designer's portfolio on Flash sites, so you know what you are buying before you spend a lot of money. These sites are ususally beautiful, but require more time to create and are therefore more expensive.

  • Splash pages are annoying! (Splash pages are the ones that you must "click to continue" or wait for a few seconds to get past to see the main site and content). If you visit the site more than once a spash page quickly becomes a nuisance.

  • In a site less than 10 pages, a visitor should should be able to reach every page from every other page in the site.

  • If you site will be greater than 10 pages, discuss this thoroughly with your designer, so that all the pages can be grouped in a logical manner.

Tip: There should be an obvious way on each page for your visitors to get back to your home page and from one page to another. Not only is this essential to engage visitors, but also for good search engine placement.

 

PRODUCT/SERVICE SALES : Those who will be selling products and services will need to make additional decisions. The most common are:

  • How many products to you have to sell. If more than about 30, a searchable database is a good idea. If you have under 30 products, probably not. There are a wide variety of choices for database-driven e-commerce sites. Discuss your options thoroughly with your designer, and ask for portfolio links to their other sites.

  • For sales online you will need a merchant account, and a secure ordering partner. We have listed a few sources on our links/helpful page, but there are a wide variety of services, and even hosting packages that include these..

  • If your product line is small and your volumn isn't enough to support the higher monthly fees required with an individual merchant account, PayPal is a good alternative (www.PayPal.com). With a PayPal business account you can accept credit and debit cards for a small percentage of what you sell. There are no minimum sales or monthly fee requirements..

  • Product sales: Stocking and Shipping

    • What is the most cost effective method of shipping and stocking your products for both you and your customer?
    • Will you handle the packaging and mailing, or will your site generate enough sales for you to use one of the warehousing/shipping services that can take care of shipping?
    • Will you maintain the stock yourself, or will you need to order it from a manufacturer each time an order is placed?
    • What will be your charge for handling?
    • Will the manufacturer let you order one item at a time, or do they require a minimum order?

The complexity required to set up an e-commerce site is the 3rd major factor driving the cost of a Web site design.

Tip: Customer Service - YOU NEED IT! If you offer products and services via the Web, you MUST be prepared to set up at least one email address that will be checked regularly. A question asked via a customer service address should be answered within 48 hours, including weekends. Plan to handle this yourself, or hire someone to do it! The use of autoresponders is an option to let your visitors know their question has been received and a real person will respond within a stated time. Poor response times kill sales of all kinds.

 

As you may have guessed, this could go on and on, and still some area specific to your business would be missed! Therefore we have included some categorized links on the previous page so you can read more about it.

Or contact us and we'll talk you through it ALL!

Virtual Helping Hand Web Design